Apron mechanism for lathes



' March 3, 1931. A. TROSCH 7 1,794,657

APHON MECHANISM FOR LATHES Filed June 28, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l i 5 INVENTOR 711' SATTORNEY vices, and

Patented Mar. 3, 1931 era TENT orricn ALFRED TROSCH, or nocrrnsrnannw Yonir, Assrenort 'rooon'soLInArnn MACHINE.

.roori CORPORATION on AMERICA, or

DELAWARE 1 Application filed' June as,

his invention relates to improvements in machine lathes, and. particularly to aprons for machine lat-hes on which the tools are mounted for longitudinal and transverse movementinto operative engagement with a work piece. 5 g L The object of the invention is to simplify and at the same time render more efficient V the clutch operating devices employed in the aprons of machine lathes. g

Another object oi the invention 'is-to provide anti-friction thrust bearings for the gears for i eedingthe apron and tool carriage and for'fthe clutchactuatingdevices.

sists in the constructionand arrangements of parts that will appearfrom the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the novel] fea ture's'being pointed out ing the specification. A r In the drawings :I 1

Figure-l is a front elevation of a lathe apron constructed according to one. embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is 'a section online2- 2 of Figure '1, looking in the direction ofthe' arrow at said line; i

Figure 3 is a transverse section on linej3%3 of Figured, looking in the direction of the arrow at said line; 1 I I V Figure 4: is a transverse section through one of the gear shafts showing how theshait is mounted and also the clutch operating de-.

Figure-5m a fragmentary detail of the dev ces forlocking a clutch operating device.

' For convenience of illustration, theinven- I tion is shown as applied to a lathe of common and well known construction. Said lathe comprises a bed havin guideways on which I the apron'may be moved along the work piece mounted in the deadand live centers. A revoluble lead screw isengaged by a split-nut on the apron for moving the apron mechanically to: feed the tool along thework piece. A fixed rack-is. engaged by a pinion on the apron, which pinion is operated {mechanically forimparting rapid movement to the apron or manually for feeding the tool'to The WOlli' tools To these and;other"e nds, the invention co11- in the claim'sifollow nocrrnszrnn, nnw onir, A CORPORATION OF APRON iuncnan'rsm non :LA'II-IES 1929f. Seria1No.3' 74,523. the Work piece or rapid manual m'ovement.

movable transversely of the apron toward and from the workpiece, thetool carrier being actuated either manually or mechani- A clutch memberrotates with the cally. lead screw and is adapted-to move in one direction or another from a'fneutral position to engage pinions operatively connected with the tool carrier orthe fixed rack, intermediate clutch devices being prov ded for con trolling-the transmission of power. I

The embodiment "of the 1nvent1on illus-" trated comprises an apronf having a frame l in" which the devices comprisingithe lathe apron are mounted."- To the rear of the are mounted on a carrier" apron; is a revolving worm or leadscrewg, as usual in the art. Mounted on thesc'rewto turn relatively thereto but mounted in bearingsinthe frame are bevel gears 3 and'4 spaced ap'art but' facing each other; The

gears 8 and 4] are provided with clutch members 5 and 6 'respectively with' which the teethofa clutch member 7 are adapted to cooperate. The clutch member 7 is splined to the lead screw or slide thereon but rotates; 7

therewith. Eacho'f the beveled gears 3 and l meshes with the bevel gear :8 secured to or-' formed integralwitha shaft 9, When the clutch member 7 engages the clutch member.

.5, the gearfi is connected to the lead screw to her 7 is" movedout of engagementwith the clutch member 5 and int-o engagement. with l the clutch member 6, the gear Sis turned"; in

.theopposite direction.v j At an intermediate positiorn the clutch member 7*is out of en-. gagement with both clutch members 5 and. 6 and no 1 motion is transmitted to the gear. wheel8.

Manually operated means are provided for shaft 1 3 revolubly mounted in the frame. .At

its other end, the shaft 13 hasan operating arm 14 secured thereto. moving the arm turn therewith and thegear'8 is turned in one 7 dlrection; l/Vhen, however, the clutch memf 1 1, the clutch member 7 may be moved into and out of engagement with the beveled gears 5 and 6. Means are also provided for locking the arm 1% in either a neutral position when the clutch member 7 turns independently of the gears 3 and l, or in the positions in which the clutch member 7 turns either gear 3 or 4. To this end, the outer end of the arm 14 is provided with a spring pressed pin 15 which is adapted to engage one of the openings 16 provided therefor in the frame, one opening being provided for each of the three positions of the clutch member '2'. I l

The forward end of the shaft 9 is provided with a 1'? either secured thereto or formed integral therewith, which meshes with gears 18 and 19. The gear 18 is mounted on a sleeve 20 mounted. to turn about an arbor 21 caried in the apron frame. The gear 18 is secured to the sleeve 20 by means of headed screws 22 seated in op nings in a flange .48 on the sleeve and engaging threaded openings in the gear. The outer end of the sleeve 20 has a thrust bearing 2a threaded thereon and secured against displacement by means of aset screw. it will be noted that the sleeve 20 turns in a bearing member 22? frame but rotates freely relatively thereto.

On the inner face of the gear 18 is'provided one member 25 of a cone clutch, the other member 26 of which is mounted on the. arbor 21 and has an inwardlyextending hub 27 havgear orpinion 28 secured thereto. It will he noted that when the clutch members are disengaged, the gear 18 idles on the arbor,

but when the clutch members are engaged, the

gear 28 turns as a unit with the gear 18.

Manually actuated means are provided for moving the clutch member '26 into and out of engagement withthe clutch member 25. To

this end, the arbor is mounted in the frame for axial movement, but splined against turning movement therein. The outer end of the arbor is supported in a bracket'proje'cting forwardly f1 in the frame and to which the outer end of the arbor is keyed. its inner end, the arboris keyed to the inner frame member Adj acent its outer end the arbor is threadedat 30, and engaging this threaded pbrti'on is a nut 31 having a finger piece 32 by which it may be manually rotated. The nut ,31'has a thrust bearing against the bracket 29 at its outer end and the roller bearings 33are arranged between its inner end and the sleeve 20. By this arrangement, it

is fixed against axial movement so that turning movements thereof move the arbor 21 axially through engagementwith its threaded portion 30.

The roller'bearings 33 are arranged be tween the nut 31 and the outer end of the sleeve or hub- 20 on whichthe gear 18 is mounted. Adjacent the outer face of the clutch member 26 the arbor 21 is enlarged to form a shoulder and seated between this shoulder and the clutch member is a collar 3 1. The hub of the gear 18 is provided with a recess 35 providing a clearance for axial movements of the collar. The hub of the clutch member 26 is mounted on a bushing 36, and the bushing and hub at their rear ends engage 'roller bearings 87 'whichare seated between the hub 27 and a bushing 38 retained on the inner end of the arbor by a nut 89 and'keyed both to, the frame and the arbor. When the arboris moved axially from the position shown in Figure 1 by movement of the hand piece 82, the nut 39 on its inner end engages the, bushing. 38, and the movement of the arbor is transmitted to the clutch member 26 through the bearings 37. When the hand piece is turned in the reverse direction to disengage the clutch members, axial movement of the arbor is transmitted to the clutch member 26 through the collar 34 which engages its hub portion. 1 7

hen the clutch members 25 and 26 are in engagement, the gear 28rotates with the gear 18. The gear 28 meshes with a gear 40 mounted on a shaft 41a turn therewith. The shaft 41 is rotatably'imounted in the apron frame and atits rear end has a pinion 42 secured-thereto to rotate therewith. The pinion 12 engages a rack 18 on the main frame 44 ofthe lathe, see Figure 3. Rotation of the pinion 12 inone direction or the other moves the apron on its guideways 4UP in onedirection or the other.

Means are also provided for moving the apron manually. Said means comprises a gear or pinion 1-5 secured to or formed integral with a shaft 45* revolublymounted in the frame and meshing with the pinion 10. At its fo rward'end, the shaft 15? has a hand wheel 46 secured thereto by which-the shaft may be manuallyxrotated. I 7 1 The pin on 19 is loosely mounted on an arbor 00 supported in the apron frame and is provided with one member of ajcone clutch,

the other member of whichis mounted on the arbor for axial movementtherewith and,

actuated by means of: a hand piece 51 ar f ranged on the forward end of the arbor. The

, movable clutch member has'a pinion 52con nected therewith. The construction and operation is similar to that of the gear 18 and p1n1on 28 desriribed abo,ve,.and need not be described in detaih The pinion 52'meshes witha gear 53 revo lublymounted in the apron frame, and the tion slidably mounted in guideways 5'?- for V movement toward and from a work piece. The forward end of the spindle 55 may'be made angular in cross-section, as at 58, for engagement with a suitable tool'by which they spindle may be manually operated. It will be noted that when the gear 18 is disengaged from the pinion 28 and the gears 19 and 52 are connected by the clutch, turning movementsof the bevel gear '8 in one direction or the other are'transmitted to the worm 55 to move the tools in one direction 10 or the other. If the gears 19 and 52 are disengaged from each other, and the gears 18 and 28 connected by the clutch devices, rotation of the bevel gear 8 in one'direction' or the other is transmitted to the pinion L2 to 15 move the apron in one direction or the other.

Although only one embodiment of the invention is shown herein by way of illustration it will be understood that the invention includes all such changes or modifications as 0 mayrcome within the spirit or scope of the appended claims.

Iclaim: I 1. A lathe comprising an apron, a train of gears on said apron, a sleeve on which one of said gears is mounted, a bearing in said apron in which said sleeve is revolubly mounted but fixed against axial movement, a clutch mem her on said gear, an arbor movable axially in said sleevebut fixed against rotation therein,

so a second gear revoluble on. said arbor. andmovable axially therewith, a clutch member on said second gear adapted to cooperate with said first mentioned clutch member, and manually operated means on one end of said as arbor for positively moving it axially to engage and disengage the clutch members.

2. A lathe comprising an apron, atrain of gears on said apron, a sleeve on which one of said gears is mounted, a bearing in said apron ea in which said sleeve is revolubly mounted but fixed against axial movement, aclutch member on said gear, an arbor movable axially in 7 said sleeve, a bracket on the apron in which said arbor is slidable,means in said bracket 413 for fixing said arbor against rotation, asec- 0nd gear revoluble on said arbor and movable axiallytherewith, a second clutch member on' said second gear'movable therewith to and from operative engagement with the first to mentioned clutch'member, and manually 0p erated means revoluble-en said arbor andengaging said bracket for moving the [arbor axially to move thesecond clutch member to r and from engagement with the first menlJ- J tioned clutch member.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name. y y

"ALFRED TROSCH. 

